


You are Ahead by a Century

by furiousvexation (thedagness)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Cheeky Rose, Eventual Romance, F/M, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:27:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23545384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thedagness/pseuds/furiousvexation
Summary: In which Tom Riddle sets off into the forest to complete a ritual but finds himself in a situation most awkward for a wizard in his stature. How embarrassing and it was all her fault. Insolent, stubborn girl.
Relationships: Tom Riddle | Voldemort/Original Female Character(s), Tom Riddle/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 36





	You are Ahead by a Century

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of its characters. This is simply a way to make time pass and find solace in words and creativity.
> 
> I apologize for any grammar mistakes that I might have missed.
> 
> The found inspiration through music on youtube; a video named "2 Hours of Peaceful Ancient Greek Harp Music" and further a score named "Hairclip" by Nathan Barr (the long version). I find these rather fit well with the feeling and air of curiosity I'm trying to emulate in this chapter.

_**You are Ahead by a Century** _

_**~** _

_**** _

_First thing we'd climb a tree and maybe then we'd talk  
Or sit silently and listen to our thoughts  
With illusions of someday casting a golden light  
No dress rehearsal, this is our life._

_~_

Dusk had just set in. Darkness was slowly lowering over the distant town and the forest like a soft veil. The crickets were playing soundly, undisturbed by the change of pace. In fact, they welcomed it, beckoned it to come closer, allow the solitude that the darkness provided.

His boots crunched against the moss- and twig covered ground. Pale fingers tightened around a wand whenever the soft wind blew between the leaves and produced a most haunting sound.

It was a wonder that Albus - the insufferable git - didn't have the foresight to take Tom's wand over the summers. Nevertheless, it wouldn't have mattered. It would have been inconsequential in the grand scheme of things; Tom did know a bit of wandless magic. He wasn't entirely daft, after all. In fact, he took pride in his accomplishments and his goals. He would even go so far as admitting that he obsessed with it. As any sorcerer familiar with what it would take to become powerful and great would.

As Tom reached the middle of a clearing, he stopped and looked up at the sky that was stained with a pinkish color from the receding sun. It was oddly enough a beautiful evening for what was about to take place.

It was time.

Breathing slowly through his nostrils, the lids of his eyes fell closed. Slowly and with suspense he lifted his wand. With a firm and purposeful flick pebbles, sticks and larger rocks lifted off the ground, hovering there for a second before they quickly formed around him, gathering into a symmetrical pattern that repeated itself full circle. Another flick and a wind blew around him, bringing with it dry leaves that framed his person like a caress. You might even say that Tom knew how to seduce even nature itself.

" _Praessidessent_ ," he whispered. " _Praessidotergo praessidosanganemortemvader arbitriumvitantemortem_." The words fell softly off his lips and soft faded green sparks were whirling around him with the wind, agreeing and celebrating the promise that was being written.

And then a twig snapped behind him.

The leaves fell, the spell was broken. Tom twirled around, wand at the ready only to be met with the vision of trees. "Who's there? _Show yourself_!"

Nothing. Nothing but the rustling from the leaves above. After a moment, Tom allowed himself to sigh. The tension in his shoulders eased off, he made to turn back around.

And then- Something caught his eye. Furrowing his brows, Tom had to focus if not only to see, but also to confirm that his mind wasn't playing tricks on him due to some magical high. Something moved behind the trees, a small silhouette. He could make something out, between the leaves, a pattern that eerily reminded him of fur. Strands colored with variations he could only describe as the red and orange in an apricot were moving, flowing with the wind between them. It was hair. And then he met a pair of soft eyes. They were smiling, a stark contrast to Toms own dark, cold ones. They were framed by the leaves, there was something inviting and innocent with these eyes. The silhouette moved again. It giggled. The sound was all too easy to identify. He groaned inwardly. "Come out of there."

The silhouette giggled again and moved around the trees. Small hands hugged the bark while she leant around, showing herself to him but also hiding as if she would run away from him at any moment. He hoped she did. She was short in stature, much too short for the proportional length of her hair. His threat had apparently been a little girl. Perfect. He lowered his wand again.

The girl was pursing her lips, trying to hide a smile and squared her shoulders as if preparing for a scolding.

"Leave." said Tom curtly and turned away without thinking further about it. He wasn't in the mood for killing.

The leaves rustled behind him.

"Are you playing?"

"No." He stepped over the twigs, gathered in their intricate pattern, cursing inwardly about how he now had to redo the whole ritual because of snooping brats.

"Then what are you doing?"

"Trying to get away from you."

He didn't turn around. As his point before, he really wasn't in the mood of having to get rid of another body. As he continued walking, he was met with silence. Expecting further objection and hearing nothing, Tom turned back around and perplexed scanned the surroundings. She wasn't there anymore. A mental shrug. Not that he had any opposition to returning to his solitude and finally completing the ritual he had waited months for, thank you. He made to continue but was blocked by a ginger mane.

"I've seen you do this before, you know."

At a loss for words, Tom stared incredulously down at the little girl. She wasn't even tall enough to reach his chest. With a finger on the top of her head, Tom pushed her to the side and stepped around her. She wafted his hand away. Or rather attempted to. Short limbs.

"Go." He said flatly when he heard her feet behind him.

"Oh, can I come with you?"

"No," he said in the same manner.

"Please?"

" _No_."

"I have seen your magic! I have magics too!"

He stopped and stared her down, the girl stumbled, struggling to come to a halt in front of him. He scanned her with a stiff hard gaze from the modest coat and dress to the dirty rainboots. She looked so… ordinary. Not a muggle then? The mere thought of the word made him want to projectile vomit. "Well?" he inquired.

Her cheeks were flushing, her hands were clasped behind her back. "Or well, my nan knows a few tricks."

"Out with it, girl."

"You won't believe me."

He went off again, effectively dismissing her. "Right you are." He needed to get the blasted ritual done so he could return to Hogwarts with new strength, if only this muggle-girl, magic child, nuisance, whatever she was would leave him.

"I think I saw you the other day, you were at the market. I saw what you did with the butcher."

A brow lifted. Oh, really? A dispute on the price of a piece of meat had ended up with a bit of… interference you might say, the Imperius kind. The fact that she had spotted him and identified it was impressive, to say the least. How old was she even?

"Don't know what you're on about," he dismissed. "Now, I am losing my patience, girl, so if you could quite just-."

"And you made somebody's clothes change color! Do you dislike red?

As he disappeared it produced a loud deafening blast, creating a forcefield that made her stumble backwards. He appeared again behind her with the same loud bang, staring her down with a sharp piercing gaze. "Silence!" he bellowed. "You will do as you're told!"

Momentarily, she looked horrified but then a smile broke out on her face. "You _do_ know magic! _I knew it_!"

"Of course I do, you silly little red headed goose, now leave before I splinch the-"

"Can you teach me? Oh, pretty please?"

 _Merlin_ , he thought confounded. She really wasn't afraid of him. With a flick of his wand, vines grew quickly in front of him building a bio-wall. " _No_." When the vines had successfully grown and hidden her from view, he turned around and continued with a relieved sigh. "Not that you would even begin to fathom the idea of magic. Let alone wield it."

"So rude," she mumbled and squeezed between the vines like they were nothing. "I can help you complete what you're doing here, I'm good at helping."

Had Tom not had the self-control and poise he prided himself in, his jaw would have fallen to the ground. Did she just step _through_ his charm? Those vines where supposed to be able to hold a drove of animals and she had just stepped right through it as though they weren't there. "And what can you, a _muggle girl_ , possibly do to assist _me_ ; the greatest sorcerer alive? Be more of a nuisance? If you really want to help me, you can begin with shutting your mouth and removing yourself from my presence this instant!" He was practically spitting the words as he bent closer to her level.

Scrunching her nose, the little girl scoffed. "So mean. Your face lies."

He blinked. " _My face lies_?"

"Nan would call you handsome, but your face and words don't fit together. Nan was right." Merlin, he wasn't going to ask.

"That's it! You've asked for it, insolent wench!" he hissed and raised his wand, taking a step back to gain traction. Something caught the heel of his foot and Tom lost his balance, effectively sending him falling backwards. In stead of meeting solid ground, the soil engulfed him. Toms eye was practically twitching with rage and humiliation when he realized he was lying in a pool of pluff mud. The mud had been camouflaged by the forest itself and had now engulfed the entire part of his lower body and held a firm grip over his right arm, his wielding arm. He couldn't feel his wand anymore, he must have dropped it.

"Oh no!" Her eyes wide spread wide, bleeding with terror-stricken concern. "Are you alright?"

"Now look what you've done!" he hissed venomously at her. "You insolent- Gah!" He tried to wiggle his way out, only furthering his sinking demise. "I curse you! I curse the moment you stepped into my life! I rue the moment I laid eyes on you, if only you had taken your stupid hair and disappeared, I wouldn't have been stuck here like a _peasant_!" Would this be the defeat of the great wizard that he was? _Mud_? He was positively fuming!

"I'm so sorry! I'll help you!" Transparent beads rolling down her flushing cheeks. Desperately the girl quickly inspected the ground. Her hands were shaking in panic. There was no way to tell where the ground ended and where the mud began. In any case, her arms weren't long enough to reach him. At once she lit up. _Reach_.

Tom's mouth fell open when the little girl dashed off to the side.

Of all the horrid, abhorrent sins a person had committed against him, this topped it off. She just deserted him and left him with his fate? Did she not have enough honor in her muggle blood to at least watch him die? After she was the sole cause of it? His face flushed red with anger. When he got out of here, he would search her out, he would find her, and he would destroy everything she loved, everything she coveted before his hands would choke the last living breath out of her tiny body. He would kill every single-

Back in the clearing she stumbled forward bent and tail first, clearly pulling something heavy with her. It appeared to be a long, thick branch. His brows furrowed. She was clearly working at capacity; panting and heaving, her legs were shaking trying to pull the wood with her. For him it would have been no feat moving that branch, but for her tiny stature it was like moving a mountain. "What are you doing now, impudent child?"

"Don't you worry, I'll help you. We'll get you out of there, you'll see." Her voice was soft and feathery behind her loss of breath, clearly trying to instill some relief in him as though he were only a child.

"Stop whatever it is you are doing and find my wand and give it to me! This will do nothing!" Toms eyes flickered over the ground, it had to be here hidden somewhere. Or maybe it was buried beneath him. His heart sank. It would take several minutes to find it, by then his whole body probably would be beneath the mud. He cursed silently. Would that he had never met her.

"Here it comes! Make sure you grip it tightly!" She attempted to push the branch towards him, bracing herself against the ground. There wasn't enough friction, her boots couldn't grip anything and the moss dislodged bringing her feet with it. She slipped and fell with a wet plonk.

He was silent as he waited. A sniffle. His cheek twitched. Oh dear god no. The girl pushed her hair out of her face, sniffled helplessly as glittering pearls rolled down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, it's too heavy."

"D-uh. Don't- don't cry." He said awkwardly. "Try again. Let me attempt something."

"Will you do magic?"

His temper flared. "I don't have my wand, I dropped it! I wouldn't be in here if I had it, would I?"

"Oh-" She pouted. "Okay, I'll try again. I promise I'll try my best."

"Don't try" he spat and immediately caught himself and cleared his throat. "I mean- I mean, you can do it. Go ahead, girl."

Again, the little girl braced herself on the other side of the thick branch and when Tom gave a silent nod, she braced her feet harder than before and pushed with all her might. Tom closed his eyes, willed the magic within him to abide. Soon tendrils of green left his body, dancing like smoke in the air until it surrounded the wood. Instantly, the branch was lifted off the moss and hovered above ground. With a last pant, the girl pushed it and was surprised to find that it moved effortlessly at her command.

"Look!"

Tom opened his eyes, relieved to see that the branch was now within his reach. Now, just to only let it ease softly onto- As soon as he withdrew his magic, the heavy wood instantly splashed to the ground, sending specks of mud in his face. Clenching his jaw, Tom took a deep breath through his nostrils as he stared off into nothing to compose himself. Serenity now.

"See? Now you can climb out!" She was sitting on the far end of the wood and was holding out the tattered fabric of what he assumed was the remains of a knitted old scarf.

Wordlessly he reached out and took it and braced himself against the branch, careful not to pull so hard on the scarf lest she falls in, too. Merlin knew dying by mud was already an embarrassment enough, dying by mud with the muggle that _caused it_ no less was enough to embarrass his reputation for centuries.

It took a few minutes and a few slips, eventually he had crawled out. Once he was on his knees and catching his breath, he realized how cold the weather had become. It was darker, too. How much time had he wasted here?

"You're okay," the girl said and wrapped his shoulders in her scarf as the calm was settling over them. He watched her between thin slits, silent, calculating. There was mud in her hair and small dots of dirt on the pale cheeks that were framed with apricot locks. Her hands were folded neatly on her lap.

There was a pregnant pause.

The girl pressed her lips together. She looked like she was about to burst before she finally gave in to the urge and drew a quick and eager breath. "My nana said that the next boy I met would turn out to be my boyfriend later in life when I'm older that I would love from ten feet away and he would unfortunately turn out to be more sour than an apple eaten by caterpillars, but it would be okay, because he would protect me and I would protect him even though he didn't like it."

Still staring, he was now looking at her like she had spontaneously grown a second head. Had he really heard all that? With suspense he bent closer. " _What_?"

When she began repeating herself, Tom apprehensively put a hand over her mouth. He sighed in relief when she stopped talking. "I heard you," he tried to explain. "But your nan is probably just bonkers and needs to take a different medicine."

She slapped his hand away and glared. "My nan is like you!"

"Doubtful."

"It's true!"

Tom scoffed. "And you? Are you like me?"

He was answered with an impressive pout. Whatever the old woman was feeding the little girl to impress her, it certainly wasn't anything close to divination. Probably just an old woman that held on to the pathetic beliefs of tarot cards, superstition and pendulums, cheap tricks to comfort loneliness. "Thought so."

Her fists clenched and at once she was on her feet, glaring daggers at him. "She can open locked doors without touching them! And she can make things float in the air like you did before! She has a stick like yours, only it looks different. And sometimes she brings me chocolate from Diadadalley that can jump!"

"Diagon Alley?" he offered, recognition firm in his voice. Her face immediately lit up and she smiled, finally he believed her. So, it was true then, her grandmother was a witch. Still, divination wasn't a common gift. He held firm in the belief that the woman was playing with the child, spinning stories for her to hold on to.

"You will be my boyfriend," she confirmed confidently.

"I doubt that will ever happen as I hope I never meet you again."

Seemingly unbothered by his words she shrugged. "Friends then?"

He looked away and hesitated. "I don't have friends."

Drawing circles into the mud with the tip of her boot, the girl rolled her eyes indicatively and mumbled under her breath. "Well, if you were less mean to people, maybe that would change."

He glared at her. "I don't _need_ friends."

"My nan says that everybody needs friends, even the meanest people need friends."

At once he was on his feet, still holding the scarf around his shoulders. "I don't care what your silly grandmother says, she's wrong. I don't need friends. I only need subordinates. Now be quiet and help me find my wand." By now, he knew her character and really wasn't expecting her to remain quiet.

As he suspected, she already looked like she was about to speak, judging by the confusion in her face. "Subdordidates?"

Tom rolled his eyes, throwing moss over his shoulder. "You really shouldn't be asking about things you can't even say. It means slaves." He heard her gasp behind him, the corner of his mouth tilted up.

"That's horrible!"

"The state of the matter is inconsequential to me. I will be the greatest sorcerer the world has ever seen, you can tell your grandmother that, girl."

She flicked her hair out of her face and glared at his back. "I'm Rose! Not _girl_. And isn't being mean to people a sign of weakness?"

Bending slightly backwards, for the first time, he laughed. "And how, my dear _Rose_ , does that work, pray tell?" He caught her with an amused and mocking grin. "You have effectively bent somebody else's will to your own, you have quenched whatever was left of who they were and replaced their being with nothing but yourself. Your goal is their goal. Your will is their religion." His fists clenched with passion. "If anything, having slaves proves just how powerful, how fearsome and worthy of respect you are. Who will dare question you, who will dare stand up against your authority? Only weak people say that it's a weakness to be so respected." His eyes were glowing, his person was practically radiating sparks of inspiration and conviction.

Tilting her head, Rose looked up at him skeptically. "I suppose anyone can play tea party with their dolls and be in control of what tea everybody drinks. As long as it's an invisible crowd, it's not difficult to do what you want." For the first time, Rose sounded too mature for her age. This was probably the influence of her grandmother slipping through.

His face fell. "Tea party? You are comparing me to a stupid, immature game for children?"

She shrugged and kept searching the ground, clearly not going to offer an explanation. Silently, he watched her. This whole situation was insane, it was an inconvenient bump in his plans, a block in the road. All the while he was being lectured by the child that saved his life. "You have much to learn, Rose. Too bad you weren't magical; you would probably have been a quick witch."

"Would I have been one of your slaves?"

He was about to answer when he was interrupted by a fit of giggles. She missed the perturbed look her threw her way. "No," she giggled, answering her own question and shook her head as if recollecting a memory, probably the traces of previous antics on her mind. "My nan says I'm much too breezy and wild." She met his eyes. "She says I'm going to be the symbolic end of you because you will find me so annoying, you're practically going to be left with no hair once I'm done with you. At least that's what she says."

He stared at her again with the same incredulous expression as last time she spoke of this. Was there a slight chance that it could be true? No, he decided firmly. _Silly tricks_. He waved her off. "Wasted effort on someone ordinary. My army will be far from ordinary, Rose, trust."

After that, they continued in silence. As the time went on, it was getting colder and Rose's teeth were starting to chatter. "Blasted wand!" Tom finally burst out and kicked the ground, sending mud and moss flying across the field. He sat down on a rock with a sigh, shoulders stiff and brooding. "I'll never find it like this."

Rose shifted where she stood. "What's your name?" she asked carefully and timidly after having watched him a little.

He looked at her between strands of dark hair. "Tom" he said after a few seconds, something akin to disdain dripping in his voice. Now that he was idle, he caught the shade of blue on her lips. At once he realized she was shaking like a leaf. "Merlin, you silly girl. Why didn't you say anything? You're freezing! Take your scarf! Take it and leave. You'll catch pneumonia at this rate."

Rose swallowed, stretched out stiff pale fingers and accepted her scarf back, however she shook her head. "I caused you to lose your favorite item. I can't leave you until it has been returned to you. I'm really sorry, Tom."

He didn't know what to respond, knowing enough not to tell her again to leave as she wouldn't listen anyway and simply just patted the place next to him on the rock. Dutifully, she sat down.

Again, there was silence.

"What do you do with the bad." She asked suddenly, looking up at him with round, large eyes. "You know, the bad that sits like a fist deep down in your stomach?"

For the first time, Tom looked properly taken aback with the girl. "The _what_?"

"The _bad_ ," she repeated as if this was something obvious he should know.

It clicked together for him. "You mean anger?" He paused. "I store it and I save it for a special occasion when I might need it."

She looked at him incredulously. "When does anyone need anger?"

"When I need to protect myself." When he falls into a pit. "And what do you do with it?"

Her arms tightened around herself. "I don't know. Nan says it's important to not let it control you. I don't know what she means when she says that. When I get angry I say mean things, like you do. But I say sorry, or else they don't want to be my friend anymore."

He smiled a little. Annoying and insolent as she was, if he allowed himself to admit it, there was something about her he found a little amusing.

"I still want to be your friend."

He scoffed; he couldn't fathom why. "You wouldn't like being friends with me. And I'm much older than you. You should be friends with people who are like you and more importantly, in your age."

Rose shrugged and looked off into the distance. "True friends are always together in spirit. And no matter how much people dislike you, one friend can make all the difference. It's what my nan says." He wanted to roll his eyes. Her nan said a lot of things. It sounded like a lesson in Sunday school, it was enough to make him want to vomit.

"Tom?"

Sighing, he looked down at her. Did she ever stop talking?

"Yes?"

"Back there, did your anger protect you?"

When he didn't answer immediately, she tilted her head, trying to make out what the uncertain look on his shadowed face meant. "No," he admitted, a deep frown set between his brows as if he now realized this. "It- it rather caused the unfortunate accident. But officially, it's your fault."

Blood rushed up her cheeks again. "But I suppose," he continued. "Hadn't you been there with your quick wit…"

He didn't finish and even she understood the implication. Her cheeks were glowing with pride. "So, we _are_ friends."

All she could see was one eye rolling down to the corner, looking down at her disapprovingly. "Careful."

Avoiding his stare with a defiant smile, she refused to let him kill the tiny light she had found. And then something caught her attention, her face lit up with the joy only a child could produce. "Hey!"

Immediately, Tom jumped up, every single muscle in his body was prepared for any threat that would present itself in the darkness. He was wandless and would be left with his fist and wandless tricks to protect them.

"I found it!" she cheered loudly, waving something above her head while jumping up and down. He was about ready to fall together with relief when he saw the familiar shape of his wand in her hands. "You found it!" Again he sighed with relief.

"I found it!" Had anyone ever looked so happy to find the very item that very well could have been the cause to their death had things turned out different?

It was their first mutual smile, but it disappeared as quickly as it had been born. Tom cleared his throat, adjusted his coat and held out a gloved hand. "If you would be so kind as to give me what is rightfully mine."

Without a single protest, Rose handed the wand over. "Oh, I am so glad, Tom!"

He looked at her, a vague twinkle of amusement in his eyes as he used a cleaning charm on himself. She watched with big round eyes as the dirt simply vanished. "Whoa. Nan never uses that one, she makes me clean my room for real. How rude!"

He laughed and cleared his throat again.

"Holy crackers." Rose burst out, the trace of recognition clear on her face. "Here I've been mentioning her but all along forgotten her. Nan!" She was shifting on her feet as if she didn't know which direction to go. "She must be worried sick for me! Oh, I have to run, Tom!" Before he could react, her arms were around his stomach and she gave him a firm hug. "We'll meet again, and when we do, I hope your face lies a little less. It won't do to have a boyfriend that can compare with a sour apple." She let go and was off in an instant. "Good luck with finding good friends, Tom!"

He watched her sprint off, the last thing he saw when she disappeared between the trees was the soft, waving apricot curls. For a long moment he didn't move and just stared at the last place he had seen her. He firmly believed that he would never see her again and that one day he would probably be the cause of her death. Even so, he wanted to say it. He wanted to say it badly, but it was not in his nature to allow himself such satisfaction and vulnerability.

But perhaps.

Perhaps he had already found one.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Thank you! Hope you enjoyed yourself! Please leave a review with your thoughts, thanks! I plan on making more chapters but it's entirely for my own amusement and will happen when I find the inspiration and joy. Some reviews with good content and good critique could help, though.
> 
> The found inspiration through music on youtube; a video named "2 Hours of Peaceful Ancient Greek Harp Music" and further a score named "Hairclip" by Nathan Barr (the long version). I find these rather fit well with the feeling and air of curiosity I'm trying to emulate in this chapter.
> 
> x


End file.
